Effingham County rallies past Richmond Hill 16-14

Thursday

Oct 18, 2012 at 12:01 AM

SCOTT THOMPSON

SPRINGFIELD - In his 30-plus years of coaching, Rick Tomberlin has won more than a few big games, including three state championships at Washington County. But as he told his team in the postgame huddle, No. 234 was his biggest victory since he came to Effingham County in 2010.

Markese Herbert scored from 2 yards out with 58 seconds left, and Cal Baker converted the ensuing two-point attempt to lift the Rebels over Richmond Hill 16-14 on Friday night in a key Region 3-AAAAA matchup.

"This is the biggest one for sure," Tomberlin said, as his team remained unscathed in region play and took a step closer toward clinching its first playoff berth since 2007.

"(Richmond Hill) has a real fine team, and we knew we'd have to play well. Our guys got it done, and I couldn't be prouder of our defense. It's the best game they've played since I've been here."

Starting on their 20-yard-line with 9:03 remaining, the Rebels (4-2 overall, 3-0 region) moved the ball steadily down field, with senior quarterback Baker and senior tailback Stewart Hamilton leading the charge. Facing a fourth-and-2 at the Richmond Hill 49, Baker went with a long count and successfully drew the Wildcats offside to give the Rebels a fresh set of downs.

Hamilton's 19-yard run on first down three plays later put Effingham at the Wildcat 14.

It was the last carry of the game for Hamilton, who was injured on the play and finished with 93 rushing yards on 20 carries along with two receptions for 98 yards. Herbert took things from there, scoring from 2 yards out three plays later to knot the score at 14.

Baker couldn't find an open receiver on the two-point attempt, but reversed his field and ran around the right end untouched to put the Rebels on top for good. He finished 4 of 10 through the air for 109 yards and a touchdown along with an interception.

It was just another key play in a crucial spot for the Rebels' signal caller.

"I can't say enough about his effort," Tomberlin said of Baker. "He's like a coach out there on the field. He's just first class, one of the best kids I've coached.

"I asked all the guys after the game what makes a man. The best thing you can say about a man is when he gets knocked down, he gets back up and keeps fighting. And every time our guys were down tonight, they kept fighting. They just never quit."

Richmond Hill (5-1, 2-1) drew first blood in a brisk first half.

After a Nick Fitzgerald interception at the Richmond Hill 35, the Wildcats embarked on a nine-play, 57-yard drive to get on the board. Facing fourth down and inches to go at the Effingham 48, Dominique Allen fell forward on a quarterback keeper for the first down.

Senior tailback David Katzman burst through the middle on the following play for 19 yards to the 29. Three plays later on fourth and 2, Katzman (16 carries, 108 yards) broke through a cluster in the middle of the field and scored untouched from 21 yards out to make it 7-0 with 10 minutes left in the second quarter.

The Rebels had a chance to score on their second possession of the game after snuffing out a Wildcat drive at the Effingham 36. Kemuan Tillman took a reverse handoff 12 yards up to the 48.

After a pair of big runs from Hamilton helped the Rebels get to the Richmond Hill 7, Tomberlin decided to take a gamble and go for it. Baker's pass fell incomplete wide of Herbert, though, and the Wildcats regained possession.

Effingham gained its first lead of the night early in the third, when Baker threw out in the flat to a wide-open Hamilton, who got into open field, brushed off an Ian Chandler tackle at the Wildcat 40 and strolled the rest of the way in. Baker hit Tillman on the two-point conversion to make it 8-7.

The Wildcats regained the lead on a 10-play, 59-yard march. Allen completed a pass to Fitzgerald at the Rebel 20 for a first down, and Katzman later barreled over an Effingham defender and scored from 7 yards out to make it 14-8 with 43 seconds left in the third.

While the Rebels haven't secured a playoff spot just yet, they're a step closer as they stand tied with Ware County for the top spot in the region. Tomberlin's squad has now won four in a row since opening up with losses to Benedictine and Screven County.

"Those are great teams who are having breakout years," Tomberlin said, "but I think the difference for us is we've been able to work some kinks out from the beginning of the year. They just won't stop fighting, and I'll take that every single time."